This invention relates to a simultaneous multiple points sounding apparatus for measuring dispersion of burden charged in a furnace.
Furnaces, such as those used in steel making, have been recently enlarged in diameter of charging mouth, with larger scales thereof, and charged burden greatly influences the workings of the furnaces, with its dispersion at the charging mouth. For controlling the dispersion of the burden, there has been installed an apparatus, such as a movable armer, or the like, for controlling the dispersion of the burden below the charging apparatus. However, such prior art apparatus is deficient in that static information or data obtained through mere model experiments is insufficient for controlling usefully and exactly, dispersion of the burden. It is necessary to fully understand and have data on the dynamic distributing conditions existing in an actual furnace.
A sounding device may be used in such cases. Such an apparatus may comprise a weight suspended in a furnace by a wire rope and the dispersion condition of the burden can be detected by measuring the length of the rope drawn. Japanese Utility Model SN 158,652/1978 discloses a sounding apparatus comprising a plurality of weights suspended in a furnace and connected to a plurality of corresponding wire ropes, a plurality of drums for coiling the respective wire ropes, and a plurality of corresponding driving devices connected to the respective drums for simultaneously sounding a plurality of points within the furnace.
However, since the disclosed sounding apparatus has a driving device for each weight, a number of problems has arisen, such as increased production costs, increased maintenance costs and increased working space.
The present invention aims to improve the foregoing deficiency in the prior art, and encompasses a sounding apparatus wherein a single driving device operates a plurality of drums, each driving a respective wire rope to which is attached a respective weight for selectively sounding the dispersion of burden in a furnace.